WHAT IS GOD LOOKING FOR? Isaiah 66:2.

I once overheard a conversation between women. One wanted a man who was tall. The other wanted one with a deep voice. They talked about traits: is he a family man? Can we laugh together? Is he patient? Honest? Kind? Strong? A good listener? A nice dresser?

But what does God look for? In Isaiah, God names three traits He seeks:

“I will look favorably on this kind of person: one who is humble, submissive in spirit, and trembles at My word.” Isaiah 66:2

(How many women look for those traits?) Do you have those three traits? If not, it’s okay—because you can change! It is so much easier to please God than to please men or women. You can’t deepen your voice, or make yourself grow taller. Even changing your basic physique is a goal very few ever reach. But you CAN make yourself humble. You CAN choose to be submissive in spirit, and you can learn to TREMBLE at God’s word.

How do you train yourself to tremble at God’s word? By READING IT.

The better you know the Bible, the more deeply you revere it. How much time do you spend reading it? Ten minutes a day? Two minutes a week? Why not make up your mind to start a new habit and begin reading the Bible every morning? I used to read two chapters a day. It was just enough for a college student. I also skipped the harder (boring) books. God would rather you skip from Genesis to the gospels than to get so bogged down in Leviticus that you quit reading altogether. It is 66 different books. You don’t have to read them in order! In fact, there is no order. Just pick a book and start reading! You won’t regret it. God will change your life and He will help you to tremble at His word.

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Your Good Deeds are Not Good Enough. Isaiah 64:6.

My grandfather lived in the woods of East Louisiana. There was no cathedral and no church. But the priest would ride up on his horse every third Sunday and hold mass in the school house. I used to share that story with Catholics so I could talk to them about faith. I would say, “Well, if you go back far enough, ALL OF US are Catholics. ALL the Protestants came out of Catholicism.”  Then I would talk to them about faith and works.

Not only Catholics, but MOST Christian denominations—most Protestants—and ALL OTHER RELIGIONS, believe that your good deeds get you into Heaven (or your good deeds ensure you are reincarnated as a king instead of a cockroach). The whole world, every religion, every cult, over 99 percent of the people on the planet—think GOOD WORKS are the ticket to the afterlife.

But the Bible says your good works are the filthy rags of a leper, Isaiah 64:6. That is, your best, highest achievement is still unclean. Your good works cannot make up for the bad ones.

“For you are saved by GRACE. It is not from yourself. It is God’s gift. It is not from works” Ephesians 2:8-9.

Your allegedly “good” deeds will never outweigh the bad, because your whole life is stained with sin. You might drink a glass of pure water. But if I offered you a glass of pure water containing a single drop of arsenic, you would not drink it. Why? Because one poisonous drop contaminates the whole thing. So it is with sin: one sin taints everything, rendering even your best works unsuitable for God. You must put your faith in HIM and His sacrifice for you.

We are not saved by our own hand, but by THE HAND OF GOD.

Thinking your good works will save you is PRIDE. If you could atone for your own sin, why did Jesus have to die? 

We are only saved by God’s GRACE which we receive by FAITH—not by works.

There is no other way.

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CERAMICS. Romans 9:20-21.

God is a “creative,” if you will pardon the annoying buzzword.

God keeps good accounts. He understands math and science. But creativity is the heart of who God is.

And one of the great things about creativity is that creative people are resourceful, they can work the unexpected problem into the final product and even make it look like they planned it that way.

God sent Jeremiah to the potter, to watch the man use his potter’s wheel. Jeremiah saw that the piece the man was making was damaged, “so the potter formed it into another kind of pot, as seemed best to him. Then the Lord said, ‘Can I not do so with you, Israel?” Jeremiah 18:1-6.

Isaiah repeats it, praying “Lord, you are the potter. We are the clay.” Isaiah 64:8.

God is creative, the ABSOLUTE MASTER ARTIST. Do you trust Him?  Do you trust that He knew what He was doing when He made you?  HE REALLY DID!

“Who are you, o man, to answer back to God? … Does not the potter have a right over the clay to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for common use?” Romans 9:20-21.

In other words, why don’t you trust God?  He knows what He is doing!  He is the Potter, the Great Artist. You are just the pot. Let Him make you and stop telling Him (and yourself) that He failed. God did not fail when He made you!

God, help us to see Your hand in every area of our lives—even the things we like least about ourselves!

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TREMBLE.  Isaiah 66:2.

I remember the fear I felt one night when I was a little boy. We were in a fourth-floor apartment in New York City visiting my aunt and uncle.  My brother and I had gone to bed and the lights were off.  Suddenly I looked at the window and saw a man on the fire escape. He was leaning against the glass with his hands cupped around his eyes like a SCUBA mask, peering into the darkness at my brother and me. I shot out of bed and ran for help. I did not panic, but I tell you what–I certainly would not be able to sleep any time soon.

The adults were not terrified. But they felt an appropriate level of caution, (My dad aimed his flashlight at the man for an hour, watching his every move!) The man stood out there on the fire escape in cutoff shorts and shirtless, going from one floor to another. He smoked a few cigarettes and did nothing. But his behavior raised concerns and we felt a healthy respect for the presence of danger. (They called the police and an officer dropped by–THE NEXT DAY!)

Do you tremble with respect when you are in the presence of God’s word?

“I will look favorably on this kind of person, one who is humble, submissive in spirit, and trembles at My word” Isaiah 66:2.

To tremble at God’s word means to respect it, to hold it in such high esteem that you would not dare to misinterpret it, preach it incorrectly, or simply neglect it. 

Do you tremble at the risk of mishandling God’s word? One well-known preacher says some things in the Bible are inspirational, but “not necessarily true.” Another says he needs to take breaks from reading his Bible.  There are those who preach entire sermons without discussing scripture. How is that possible?

I have trafficked in words my entire life. When I taught high school literature classes, I could not get through a day without sharing great quotes and talking about the amazing use of language—whether from Chaucer, Shakespeare, or Mark Twain. But to speak in a church and NOT talk about the greatest book ever written? How is that possible? To preach on anything else indicates you do not “tremble at God’s word.” You do not fear the word or respect the word–you certainly do not find your life animated by an undeniable PASSION for God’s word.

Life on earth is filled with amazing places, people, and experiences. But there is no single resource more valuable than God’s word. If you do not love it and tremble with a deep respect—a passionate desire to understand it and speak about it truthfully—you need to beg God to fill you with a love for His word. Nothing matters more than that.

“I will look favorably on this kind of person, one who is humble, submissive in spirit, and trembles at My word” Isaiah 66:2.

Dear God, help us love Your word more every day! May our lives be ANIMATED BY AN UNDENIABLE PASSION FOR THE WORD, A HUNGER THAT CAN NEVER BE QUENCHED!

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WHY DOES GOD LET US SUFFER? Isaiah 63:9.

Why DOES God let us suffer? Why doesn’t He spare us? Why must we grieve and feel lonely and hurt and disappointed? Why do we have physical pain? Why do we go through death, whether it is quick and horrifying, or a decades-long odyssey through ever-worsening illnesses?

I believe God DOES spare us many pains. He loves you and hates to see you suffer. But He allows a little suffering so it will refine us, making us more like Him. Suffering takes our eyes off ourselves, gives us compassion for others, and makes our hearts long for our REAL home—our heavenly home. Suffering makes us more like Christ.

And though He does not remove ALL suffering, I believe He JOINS US in our suffering. Isaiah writes that “in all our suffering, He suffers.” He suffers with you. He hurts with you! Whatever you go through, Jesus has been through worse.

“IN ALL THEIR SUFFERING, HE SUFFERED.” Isaiah 63:9

You may remember me describing a picture I once painted. My idea was to paint a crucifixion painting, but with a unique point of view: the viewer is on a cross, looking down his own bloody arm at Jesus on the cross next to him. Because we all suffer like those thieves (though in many different ways). Jesus does not take us down off the cross—instead He JOINS US in our greatest suffering. He is right there with you, and He looks over at you and beckons you: “TODAY, YOU WILL BE WITH ME IN PARADISE.” Soon, you will join Me in my Glory!

Imagine that! The God Who Created and Saved us joins us in our horror and shame and agony—and promises that we will join Him in His Joy and Honor and Glory. What an amazing privilege! I can’t even believe that.

Dear God, remind us that You are always with us, no matter what! We never suffer all alone, but You are there hurting with us. Thank you for your compassion. Make us more like You every day.

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Are You Pestering God? Isaiah 62:7.

Have you ever heard someone talk about wasting God’s time?  Or maybe you’ve heard them say, “I’m not going to pray about that—I don’t want to bother God.”  You wouldn’t want to pester God, right? 

Wrong. God is NEVER bothered by our prayers. He has an infinite mind—and infinite time. Thus, His attention for you has NO LIMITS. You will never waste His time. He will never consider your prayers a bother. In fact, He encourages us to “pester” Him with prayer:

“Tirelessly PESTER God—give Him no rest—until He blesses Jerusalem….” Isaiah 62:7. Other translations say, ‘Give no silence to Him,’ and “Do not give Him rest.”  And remember—this is God speaking. This is God Himself teaching us how He WANTS us to pray. Pray until it BOTHERS GOD. Go ahead and PESTER HIM. Jesus underlined this idea when He told “the Parable of The Unjust Judge” (also called “the Parable of the Persistent Widow”):

“In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about man. And a widow in that town kept coming to him, pleading ‘Grant me justice against my opponent.’  For a while the judge was unwilling. But finally the judge said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what men think, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, lest by continuously coming she wear me out!’  And Jesus said, ‘Listen to the unrighteous judge. Will not God bring about justice for His chosen ones who cry out to Him day and night?  I tell you, He will see that they get justice quickly!” Luke 18:2-8.

We don’t pray enough. We just don’t.

God, remind us to pray more, to pray with PERSISTENCE. To pray until we wear You out!

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ENJOY THE MYSTERY. Mark 3:21, 31-35; Isaiah 55:8-9.

God does things HIS way. Stop expecting everything to make sense.

“For My ways are not your ways … My ways are HIGHER than your ways” Isaiah 55:8-9.

You’ve seen Christians who think if you lost that job, you must be out of God’s will, or if your marriage is on the rocks, one of you is not following God. Or if you have financial problems, you stopped obeying God and you must retrace your steps and discover where you got off-track.

The un-Biblical logic goes: IF YOU HAVE PROBLEMS, QUESTION EVERYTHING.

Christians are notorious second-guessers.

Sadly, while all of us are good at passing judgment, few truly know the voice of God. Most have never spent enough time in the word and in prayer to know His voice.

“Then His family went to take Jesus home, for they were saying, ‘He is out of His mind.’ … A crowd was sitting near Him and told Him, ‘Sir, your mother, your brothers, and your sisters are outside asking for You.’ “ Mark 3:21, 31-35.

Who doubted the work of Jesus?  None other than Mary, the virgin who gave birth to the Son of God. She did not like the crowds, the threats, the danger. She got so agitated, she gathered her sons and daughters and went to fetch Jesus and take Him home. Though she kicked off her Son’s ministry at the wedding at Cana—now she decides things have gotten out of hand.

How could Mary doubt Jesus?  MARY? 

We risk the same error when God does things—according to His mysterious ways—and we assume there is a problem because things are not going according to OUR plans.

But if you have heard from God, HANG ONTO THAT!  Trust Him. Expect the unexpected—and don’t assume that if you can’t understand things, then someone is out of God’s will. Enjoy the mystery.

Remember—

DON’T DOUBT IN THE DARKNESS WHAT GOD TOLD YOU IN THE LIGHT.

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Drought. Isaiah 55:10-11.

Remember the drought of 2011?  Remember the fires all over Texas?  Even at our house?  Remember the way fields turned brown, grass died, fertile soil turned to dusty sand?  Rain is not convenient, but it is so important. We realize it as soon as things turn brown. And the earth has PLENTY of water. The oceans are loaded with it. All we need is some evaporation, for the clouds to blow our way and drop some rain. Most of it will end up in the rivers and back in the sea in no time. But only after it cleans and nourishes the land.

GOD’S WORD IS LIKE RAIN.

“Just as rain and snow fall from heaven and do not return there without saturating the earth and making it germinate and sprout, providing seed to sow and food to eat, so MY WORD will not return to Me empty, but will accomplish what I send it to do” Isaiah 55:10-11.

God’s Word nourishes. God’s word brings life and healing and freshness and restoration and cleansing. In fact, God PROMISES that His word will not return void (empty), but will always achieve His purpose. In other words, when you hear God’s word preached, it will always touch you and teach you and bless you. When you read it—same thing: God’s word will never fail to bless you. And when you share His word with others (even when you paraphrase it with your own words) God’s message will ALWAYS bless their lives and accomplish God’s purpose.

To put it another way—God will ALWAYS bless the time you spend reading, studying, and sharing God’s word. No other activity comes with such a promise!  And just like rain, God’s word may not always be convenient. Maybe you don’t have time for it—or would rather not make time for it. But as the earth desperately NEEDS rain, your heart desperately NEEDS God’s word.

God, help us to read and study Your word EVERY DAY!  Thank you that it will never return void.

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OPPORTUNITY COMES DISGUISED AS ADVERSITY. Isaiah 55:9.

Paul kept being arrested. Why? Because it gave Paul an opportunity to preach to world leaders.

In Philippi, Paul led the jailer and his family to Christ. When Paul wanted to go to Jerusalem, everyone told him he would be arrested. He went anyway. When a crowd gathered, Paul preached to the crowd, and some were saved. Paul would have been thrilled to speak because he knew God would use him to plant seeds, water seeds, or bring in the harvest (1 Corinthians 3:6). God’s Word would not return empty (Isaiah 55:11).

When Paul was arrested, he spoke to the Sanhedrin. Next Paul was sent to Felix the governor. He preached to him many times over the next TWO YEARS. Then Festus became governor and Paul preached to him. Then King Agrippa and his wife arrived and Paul preached to them. Then Paul was sent to Rome, preached to the 276 people on board ship. Once in Rome, Paul preached to the Jews, preaching in a house for another two years. Finally, Paul was released.

God does not see things as we do.

“For my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts” Isaiah 55:9.

What we consider disaster, God may consider ministry opportunity. Sometimes the greatest opportunity comes disguised as the greatest adversity.

Is your life different from the lives of the lost?  Do you live a life that would make people ask what is different? Do you know how to answer (1 Peter 3:15)?  

Jesus said, “In this world you will have trouble” John 16:33. Adversity is guaranteed. Are you prepared? 

One key is looking at EVERY SITUATION as a chance to share your faith. Life is not about you—your goals, your pleasure, your comfort. Life is about bringing the message of hope, forgiveness, and salvation to a lost and dying world. Are you ready?

God remind us that we live for YOU. Teach us how to see adversity as an opportunity to share our faith.

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The WORD is Different from Other Words. Isaiah 55:10-11.

“Too old for Instagram, too young for Life Alert.”

“In God we trust—but wash your hands.”

“Life’s too short to live in Houston.”

People love these things. But not all the words some sign painter strings together are equal. One sign might be a joke from a redneck comedian, while another bears words from a different source, such as one my mom had hanging in the kitchen: “My grace is sufficient for you” 2 Corinthians 12:9.

Some are just silly and fun, or cute and nostalgic. But the words of scripture are different. Whether it’s painted in glitter or spelled out in noodles or stitched onto a throw pillow, God’s word “WILL NOT RETURN VOID [empty].” When God’s word reaches you, it will do what He sent it to do—whether it reaches you on a bumper sticker, a tee shirt, or a fortune cookie.

“For just as rain and snow fall from heaven and do not return there without saturating the earth, and making it germinate and sprout, and providing seed to sow and food to eat, so My Word that comes from My mouth will not return to Me empty, but will accomplish what I please.” Isaiah 55:10-11.

God’s Word will NOT RETURN EMPTY. It will ACCOMPLISH SOMETHING. Don’t dismiss “Hobby Lobby Art” if it contains scripture. Because it WILL always bring God the fruit He sent it for. Consider fishing:

EVERY time God casts His line, He catches a fish. EVERY. SINGLE. CAST. Because God’s word WILL NOT return void.

And that plaque over Mama’s kitchen table? I memorized it without even trying, and it became so special to me. It is a key scripture, and I think of it often: God’s grace is ALWAYS sufficient. His grace is enough.

Pray. God, help me to love your Word wherever I find it. Help me to read it, study it, memorize it, and LOVE it. Give me a HUNGER for Your word! And help me to submit myself and all my ideas to the authority of Your word.

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